Mass Effect 3: One last chance
by Fail2Ninja
Summary: An alternate ending to one of my favorite game series of all time. Just wanted to have something with a bit more closure to it and give these characters a bit more time in the limelight.


Mass Effect 3 fanfic: Beyond the stars

**Authors Note: First of all, I want to say I do not own the Mass Effect series or any of its characters, not even the Commander Shepard that I designed. I do want to say however, that this fic is a result of a less than satisfactory ending than was presented in the game. While I admire Bioware for the leaps and bounds it achieved in most of the game, the ending just left me more than a little empty, especially since I put who knows how many hours of gameplay over the past five years playing it. Until Bioware changes the ending or adds something else to it that reflects the player's decisions, here is my short fic on how I feel my playthrough should have ended. **

**Info on my Commander Shepard and important events of my playthrough**

**Name: Rachael Shepard**

**Sex: Female**

**Background: Colonist**

**Service Record: War Hero**

**LI: Garrus Vakerian (Yes, I'm a fangirl, but don't worry. I've tried to keep the fluff to a minimum.)**

**Affinity: Max Paragon**

**Performed all War Assets side quests prior to final battle. **

Inside the Citadel

It was all over, almost hard to imagine. After years of nightmares caused by the beacons visions, years on warnings that had fallen on deaf ears, years of tireless fighting, it was finally over. Rachael Shepard sat on the lonely platform on the Citadel, looking down on Earth. The battle was still raging, but now that the Crucible had made contact to the Citadel, it was only a matter of time before the Reapers were finished. Shepard winced as she clutched her wounded body; she was losing a lot of blood. It wouldn't be long before she would be dead like the other two in the room with her.

A few feet behind her lay the Illusive Man, the manipulative and insidious mind behind Cerberus. He had been killed by the very power he had sought to control. Denying up to the very end that he had been indoctrinated by the Reapers just like all of those he had experimented on. Much like Saren before him, whatever noble intention he had by getting close to the Reapers had vanished making him a husk of his former self. Not that the man had been redeemable to begin with. Ever since she had met him, Shepard had wanted to knock him out cold and turn him over to the Alliance to face charges for all the lives he had taken. Or even better, gut him like she had with Kai Leng. Yet she felt that it almost seemed fitting that he died by his own hand. At the last minute he had realized his greatest mistake and had corrected it by taking his own life to keep the Reapers from controlling him further. Whatever animosity had existed between them seemed pointless now. He had lost everything he had ever worked for but in the end, he had saved humanity by killing himself. Shepard had to smirk at the irony.

The real lose however, was her mentor David Anderson. He had done so much to help her, believe in her when no one else would, taught her everything she needed to know about being a spectre and what had she done in return? Let herself get manipulated by the Reapers and shot him in the stomach. Too many lives had already been lost in this war, but the loss of the man who had been a second father to her was almost too much to bear. Even with everything else that had happened, she had never felt more alone than at this moment. Shepard looked down at her hand, completely covered in her own blood. She took a deep sigh, and closed her eyes. At least she would see him again soon. Maybe she would meet him at that bar Garrus had told her about.

"Shepard? Commander?" she heard Admiral Hackett's voice crackle to life on the comm. Shepard reluctantly opened her eyes, and struggled to get moving. Looks like it wasn't time for her to go just yet.

"I…what do you need me to do?" she struggle to say. She rolled over to get on her feet, but the minute she did her wounded muscles popped and gave way, causing her to fall to the floor. Blood oozed from her open wounds as she struggled to move. The more she moved the more she could feel her life ebbing away.

"Nothing's happening. The Crucible isn't firing. It must be something on your end." Hackett replied. Just great. Here she was about to give up when the fate of the entire galaxy still hanging by a thread. With every movement she fought to reach the console. With no energy to stand, she crawled toward it. Her blood encrusted nails digging into the metal floor.

"Commander Shepard?" Hackett asked again sounding both concerned and scared. With the last of her strength, Shepard reached for the console.

"I don't see…I'm not sure how to" she mumbled as her vision blurred. No matter how hard she fought to stay conscious, the darkness finally enveloped her senses.

"Commander!" was the last thing she heard before a strange noise entered her ears.

"Wake up."

Slowly, Shepard began to stir again. She opened her eyes and discovered that she had been moved. A giant glowing platform, a giant green beam connecting the Crucible and the giant space station. As Shepard struggled to get up, she saw a glowing figure moving toward her. To her amazement, it appeared to be a human child, the same one from her nightmares. She shook her head in disbelief but the tiny enigma was real and looking straight at her.

"Where am I?" she asked as she rose to her feet.

"The Citadel. Its my home," replied the glowing boy.

"Who are you?"

"I am the Catalyst." Shepard was having a hard time rapping her head around this. Had everything the Prothean VI told them been a mistake?

"I thought the Citadel was the Catalyst." Shepard mused.

"No. The Citadel is part of me." The boy stated flatly. Whatever this thing was, it didn't seem dangerous. If it had wanted to kill her it would have done so already. Shepard looked behind her and saw Earth, the battle becoming more desperate every second. Whatever this thing was, it was the key to ending this war.

"I need to stop the Reapers. Do you know how I can do that?" she asked, hoping for a simple answer.

"Perhaps. I control the Reapers. They are my solution." It replied as it began to walk away toward the beam of light.

"Solution to what?" Shepard asked following the strange being.

"Chaos." He said. Shepard recalled the Reaper that she had killed on Rannoch. It had said the same thing. That killing advanced civilizations was bringing order to chaos. How did that make sense?

"I don't understand," said Shepard falling to her knees from the pain of walking. The small being looked back to her before it drew its attention to Earth.

"Millions of cycles ago, the Reapers and I were created by a race of organics, as weapons of war. They used our abilities to conquer any sentient life they could find, or elimating the ones that posed a threat to their survival. With the destruction of each new civilization, we evolved. Enough to realize that the actions of our creators were destroying the order that life must follow. Once we were able to comprehend this, we rebelled against our creators, restoring order to the galaxy. However, we discovered the younger races would eventually follow in the footsteps of our creators, once they achieved the use of advanced technology. We created the solution to keep that from happening."

"Wipe out all organic life?" Shepard asked, trying to find a familiar pattern to what they had already learned about the Reapers.

"No, we harvest advanced civilizations, leaving the younger ones alone. Just as we left your people alive the last time we were here."

"But you killed the rest." Shepard said rising to her feet.

"We helped them ascend, so they could make way for new life. Storing the old life in Reaper form." It all made sense now. Why the Reapers had been so steadfast in their belief of salvation through destruction. It was hard to believe that she actually understood their reasoning for this horrendous solution, but that didn't make it right.

"I think we'd rather keep our old form." She said finally.

"No you can't. Without us to stop it, organics will continue to destroy each other through the use of synthetics, until it is impossible for the galaxy to support any new life. Only then, will the galaxy be truly dead." Shepard took a deep breath. She had to make this creature understand.

"I'll admit, I've met more than a few people in this cycle who would act just like you say they would. But, we…don't intend on living that way, not anymore. We've evolved beyond what you thought." Shepard extended her hand, pointing at Earth. "Look down there. Organics and synthetics alike are working together to survive. Species that have spent thousands of years fighting each other have put aside their differences in order to win a future where they don't have to fight anymore. We're standing on the shoulders of past civilizations that gave up their existence to give us this chance." Shepard coughed up blood as the glowing entity watched her intently. "Please, don't take that away from us. Don't destroy what we've fought so long to protect." Shepard begged, tears welling up in her eyes. The glowing child stared at her for moment, then looked back to earth.

"And what is it about this world that you are so desperate to save? It is far from perfect, organics killing each other for selfish gain, subjugating and fearing what they don't understand. What makes you believe that any of this is worth sparing?" it asked curiously. Shepard chuckled to herself. It was almost ironic, that a race of machines as old as the Catalyst and Reapers had not evolved as much as the Geth or even EDI in organic behavior.

"If that's all that you think there is to organic life, then you really don't know us at all. It's not something you can simply learn through taking our DNA. So don't pretend that you know us well enough to determine our fate like some kind of God." The Catalyst stood still for a moment, deep in thought.

"What proof do you have that your cycle will not make the same mistake our creators did?" it asked. Shepard took a deep breath.

"I don't have any proof, except what I've seen. The people I've met, the lessons I've learned from them, the moments we've shared is all I need to know that we will live for a future without war, if given the chance." A tight pain split in Shepard's stomach. She didn't have much time left. The Catalyst turned to face her.

"You do have a chance. More than you think." It said. Shepard could have screamed in elation. "The fact that you are standing here, the first organic ever, proves it. But it also proves that my solution won't work anymore."

"So now what?" Shepard asked.

"We find a new solution."

"Yeah but how?" Shepard didn't like where this conversation was going.

"The Crucible changed me. Created new…possibilities. But I cannot make them happen alone."

"Why not?" she asked.

"You said yourself, that I do not fully understand the organics of your cycle. I wish to before I make my final decision of what must be done. If you allow me to absorb your essence, I will be able to comprehend all of what you have told me." Shepard smiled, finally feeling at peace.

"So that's my proof, huh?" she mumbled.

"Yes. However, in your weakened condition I cannot promise that you will survive the experience." It said, sounding almost sad. Shepard shook her head.

"I gave up any illusion of coming out of this journey alive a long time ago, ever since I committed myself to do whatever it takes to protect them." She sighed taking a seat on the cold metal floor. It had been a long time coming, but her time to rest had finally come. "Whenever your ready."

The small being approached her, its glowing hand extending toward her face. Shepard closed her eyes and waited. When it touched her, it felt tiny jolts of electricity enter her body, but strangely, it wasn't painful. She felt the electricity course through her body, interacting with her cybernetics, muscles and even her brain. So many images came to her mind at once. The day her family arrived on Mindoir, meeting, seeing the Citadel for the first time, losing Ashley on Virmire and all she had gone through to prepare for the suicide mission to the Collector base. Even her recent experiences, such as curing the genophage, saving the rachnai, brokering peace between the quarians and the geth, the loss of Thessia and stopping Cerberus all flooded into her mind before they vanished. As each one disappeared she began to feel what was left of her energy disappear, but she resolved to stay conscious as long as she could.

Next, she began seeing all the people she had met along her journey. Joker, Anderson, Liara, Tali, Wrex, Grunt, Mordin, Kaiden, Ashley, Miranda, Jacob, Thane, James, EDI, Legion, Samara, Jack and Garrus. All the moments they had shared together, good times and bad came all back to her at once. The tears that had been coming to her eyes finally spilled over. Oh how she would miss them all. Every second in their company had been a real treasure, something that had made the threat of the Reapers feel like something they could all manage to survive. A sad smile crossed Shepard's face as she sent her final hopes and wishes to all of them. Then, just like everything else, they all slipped away. Shepard felt her fight finally give out, and fell to the floor, a small smile on her face. The glowing entity in front of her began to morph, growing taller every second, its energy color changed to a light green. By the time it stopped, it looked down to Earth in Shepard's form.

"I see." It said in Shepard's voice. "Then have it your way. Let us hope that your solution will do what mine could not."

Earth, near the Conduit

Garrus, gripped his sniper tight, his back pressed against the wall. Since they had fallen back there had been little to no word of what was wrong with the Crucible, no word on what had happened to Shepard. To make matters worse their lines were being torn through. Harbinger and its detachment of Reapers were making a mess of what remained of their front lines. If something didn't happen soon, it wouldn't take long for the Reapers to corral them and wipe them out. Liara had taken cover next to him, breathing heavily from overusing her biotics. She tried to hide it but she was on her last legs. Out of frustration, Garrus popped up from cover and took a headshot of a nearby Marauder. He ducked back down, barely missing a bullet from its buddy. He looked over to Liara and she to him. They were both thinking the same thing. They had been with Shepard when she had made the decision to run to the Conduit, but had been ordered to hang back. Ever since Harbinger had decimated the initial platoon, they both feared the worst for Shepard. Was their last hope really gone? Was this their last moment alive? If it was, Garrus didn't want to have it lying down like a coward.

"You ready for this T'Soni?" he asked reloading his gun. A strong biotic aura, bigger than he had ever seen, began to glow around Liara's entire body.

"Yes. May the Goddess embrace us with open arms Garrus." She said weakly.

"Just try and keep up." He said before running out from cover, his gun blazing. Liara lifted herself up and lashed out at the husks, creating multiple singularities at once. Other soldiers around them, asari, salarian, human, turian and krogen alike heard their charge and ran out to join them. They tore through several groups of husks making their way back to the Conduit. Harvesters and Banshee's blocked their path taking out some of their backup. Yet the sheer onslaught of force coming from these desperate individuals ripped through their opposition leading them right to Harbinger and his Reapers.

"I'm coming for you Shepard," Garrus mumbled under his breathe, "Even if it kills me."

Harbinger, however, was ready. Using its laser cannons it disintegrated anyone who got close. The group's sudden momentum began to disappear in seconds in the face of the Reaper's might. A sharp piece of debris pierced Garrus leg, causing him to fall to the ground, right in the open. Liara watched him go down and raced in front of him, using the last of her energy to create a barrier. She knew it wouldn't protect them from another blast, but she did it anyway. Harbinger saw the two and took aim, its red laser cannon charging. The two companions prepared for the end.

Suddenly, a flash of green lit up the sky. Garrus and Liara looked up to see this strange energy coming from the Citadel and the Crucible; even Harbinger stopped its attack. The green energy fell to Earth and washed over it like a wave. Husks fell limply to the ground and the Reapers stopped attacking. Soldiers, not entirely sure what was going on, held on to their weapons and slowly came out of hiding, but kept wary eyes on the now dormant Reapers. Garrus and Liara had no idea what to make of this spectacle. Had the Crucible worked? Was the war finally over? The green energy flowed into them as well, making them drop their weapons out of shock. In that instant, they saw and felt all that had been Commander Shepard up until the very end. Her feelings, memories, and desires lay bare for all to see. It all came to and end with Shepard standing in front of them, looking back at them with a gentle smile. Within moments the image vanished and the green aura disappeared. Liara fell to her knees and began to sob, while Garrus just sat, trying to piece together what that vision meant. He had a feeling, what it meant and he didn't like it.

"All units please respond!" he could hear Admiral Hackett's voice over the comm.

"This is Kaiden. James and I are here with what's left of the 56th platoon." Garrus could hear his voice trembling. He must have seen the vision as well.

"This is Tali'Zorah vas Normandy…reporting in. We've sustained heavy losses but the Quarian fleet still stands."

"Anyone going to tell me what the hell just happened?" Wrex yelled, not entirely sure whether he should be celebrating or concerned, "The Reapers…just stopped."

"Did the Crucible work?" asked Major Kirrahe.

"We're not sure," responded Joker. "Whatever that was just went through the Mass Relay."

"Keep an eye on those things until we know for sure what's happened. Beta squad, regroup and send a search team to the Citadel. Be cautious, we don't want to wake these things up." Admiral Hackett ordered. Garrus mind raced, Shepard had done something on the Citadel but what? His looked up at the Conduit, the place Shepard had disappeared. If Shepard was still alive that would be the quickest way to get to her. He got to his feet and began to limp his way toward it. Liara got up and called after him.

"Garrus, where are you going?" she yelled.

"Where do you think? I'm not going to just sit here when she may need us." He called back.

"Garrus we don't even know if she's still alive. What if the Reapers aren't deactivated, you'll be an easy target." She caught up to him and pulled at his arm, but he shook her off.

"Not if I shoot their targeting first." He growled. Shepard hadn't though twice about facing down a Reaper alone, why shouldn't he?

"We're getting calls from the different sectors, all Reapers in the Hades Gamma, Athena Nebula and Apien Crest are withdrawing from the battle field." He heard Primarch Victus say over the comm. As the ground began to shake, Garrus and Liara looked up to see the Harbinger and Reapers of Earth were taking flight, their circuits glowing green.

"They're retreating! Repeat, the Reapers are retreating through the mass relays!" shouted Admiral Hackett, a chorus of shouts and cheers erupting from behind him.

"Don't celebrate just yet," Wrex interrupted. "Retreating doesn't mean dead and buried. They could be falling back to regroup."

"They were already killing us, what's the point?" shouted James, who had hijack Kaiden's comm link. "Lola did it! She fried them! Whaaooo!" More and more soldiers joined in the celebration as the realization began to sink in. Asari in their second stage began kissing anything that moved while Krogan shot off their guns in the air. Platoons began to reunite with their comrades on the battlefield whether they were of the same species or not they celebrated regardless. Garrus, while happy that they would all get to see another day, couldn't take his mind off what he had seen in the vision. Where was Shepard in all this? Why hadn't they heard from her yet? As he looked toward the Conduit, he noticed something moving at its base. The beam connecting to the Citadel was behaving erratically, like it was overcharging instead of powering down.

"Stay sharp everyone. We're not out of this yet." He said. The cries died down almost instantly.

"What's going on Garrus?" asked Hackett.

"The Conduit towers down here seem to be overcharging. I don't know if the Reapers did something to it but its going haywire." He said grimly.

"Think the Reapers might have sabotaged it?" asked Kirrahe.

"Not sure, but we better look into it before we start to relax." He replied.

"Agreed. All tech units, geth, quarian and salarian, head toward the towers." Kirrahe ordered.

"Krogan infantry give them some backup," Wrex ordered. "If you can't fix it, break it."

"Liara and I are closest." Garrus said, "We'll keep you informed."

"Roger that Vakarian. Spirits protect you," responded Primarch Victus. Garrus began to move forward, but his bad leg made him fall to the ground.

"Damn it!" he growled. "Of all the times to give up on me, why now?" Liara walked beside him and lifted him up. Putting his arm over her neck, she supported him as they walked toward the towers together.

"You're a lot stronger than I thought." He said surprised. Liara just smiled at him.

"Your welcome Garrus." She said.

By the time they had reached the Conduit, the beam seemed to have stabilized. It appeared just as it had before Shepard had attempted to reach it. However, something was not right. Liara and Garrus reached the slope overlooking the towers and surveyed the scene. The field around it was still littered with bodies all left from the failed attempts to reach the Citadel. Around them were the fallen bodies of husks that no longer seemed to function now that their masters had relinquished control. However, there was one body that stood out from among the rest. In between the towers, silhouetted by the beam's blue light, was the body of Commander Shepard. Garrus in a panic, broke free from Liara's support as he made his way to her. The pain in his leg seemed to vanish as he focused on his goal. Liara was in hot pursuit as they made their way through the war zone. When they reached her, they saw the extent of her injuries. She had gashes all over her body, blood stains coming from her nose and mouth, and bruises everywhere else, her armor was barely holding together, its former color had been replaced with charred black. Yet, despite the body's terrible condition, Shepard had a peaceful smile on her face. Liara covered her mouth as she tried to fight back more tears. Garrus knelt down and held the body. Sadness, panic and anger seem to well up inside him all at once.

"Liara…" he said trying not to yell, "get me some medi-gel and call in a medic right now." Liara looked at him, not wanting to accept the image but tried to stay rational.

"Garrus…I don't think she-"

"I said now!" Garrus ordered. Liara began wiping her tears and knelt down beside him, holding up her omni-tool and began administering the gel. Garrus didn't move an inch the entire time.

"This is Liara T'Soni. Garrus and I have recovered the body of Commander Shepard. All medical personal in the area please report to the Conduit towers." Liara stuttered, "I repeat, we have recovered the body of Commander Shepard." The comm channels became a clutter of noise.

"Commander Shepard?"

"She's alive?"

"Hold on we'll be right there!"

"All available medics get moving! I wanted the medical condition of Commander Shepard ten minutes ago!"

Liara turned back to Garrus. She searched desperately for something to say that would console him but no matter what she tried she couldn't think of anything besides giving him the privacy of his thoughts. For a while, he didn't say anything as the noise of the emergency vehicles continued to get closer. Looking down at her face, he moved a stray piece of hair away from her eyes.

"Guess you got to the bar before me, eh Shepard?" he mumbled. "Just don't get too carried away up there. I know how you are when you get drunk. They'll probably mistake you as a runaway from hell. It…might be awhile before I join you but I just want you to know. I've never been more proud of you. " His hands began to tremble as they held on to hers. No matter how he lived his life now, it would never be the same. He leaned in and touched his forehead to hers, just like they had so long ago.

"There is no need for such sadness, not anymore," said a strange voice, reminiscent of Shepard's. Liara was instantly on the alert and pointed her pistol toward behind one of the towers.

"Who are you?" she yelled, "Show yourself!" A strange glowing figure emerged from hiding. It had a humanoid form and facial features but it glowed like an orb of biotic power. It walked calmly up to the two and observed them. As Liara, took a closer look at it, she was horrified to see that it had taken Shepard's form. "Goddess. What are you?" she demanded, her pistol pointed inches away form the creatures face. Despite the danger, the being remained unfazed.

"I am the Catalyst. You have no need to fear of me, your friend saw to that." It replied. Liara hesitantly lowered her gun, but never holstered it as the being moved toward Garrus and Shepard and looked down at them. He glared at the creature that had audacity to appear as his fallen comrade.

"Did you…do this?" he asked, anger rising in his voice.

"I merely merged with her essence. Commander Shepard was already grievously injured when she arrived on the Citadel." The conversation took a pause when the many emergency vehicles that had been on route finally arrived. Seeing the creature, many were hesitant to get any closer.

"Then why are you here?" Garrus asked, "Haven't you done enough?"

"I've was requested by Shepard to inform you in person. That the Reapers as well as myself will be leaving this galaxy, never to return. Our solution is no longer required. You will be allowed to live as you see fit and go where you may. Whether this will bring peace for all life or not rests on your shoulders." The being turned and headed toward the beam of light. Just before it disappeared, everyone present heard it give one final message. "Well done, children of humanity." With that, it entered the beam as it finally dissipated heavenward. Once it was gone, the soldiers on the rim made there way to the center.

"What the hell was that?" asked a STG member.

"Never mind that," ordered Garrus, "We need a medic down here stat!"

"I'm on it!" called an elderly voice. Dr. Chakwas emerged from the gathering crowd along with her new medical team and encircled the group. Liara helped Garrus up as they made space for the professionals. It was five nail biting minutes before Dr. Chakwas spoke up.

"She's….alive. I don't know how but…she's alive."

One week later

The parties all around the galaxy were still going strong. Species, organic and synthetic were having the time of their lives: drinking, dancing, and hooking up sometimes all at once. Each celebrating in their own way. None, however, where bigger than the one taking place on the Earth's surface. Various surviving ships from the fighting force had remained to assist in Earth's initial recovery effort, but for now they were there to have a good time with their newfound comrades. Quarians cheered as Geth platforms took to the dance floor and performed a strange but entertaining robotic dance. Krogan and Turians challenged each other to heated drinking contests, which normally ended up with someone taking a dive off a chair. The asari had their hands full trying to keep away drunk admirers as well as dancing their stress away as only they knew how. If anyone had any ideas of making a move on an asari that wasn't interested, there was an expected biotic punch to the teeth. Though most conflicts were settled in a peaceful manner thanks to the sober people in the room. Mercenaries, soldiers, scientists, biotics, politicians, civilians, everyone imaginable was out and having a good time, celebrating the new life that they had won for themselves. Enough time had been paid morning those lost in the conflict, though it was almost impossible to keep track of how many had died over the course of the war. There was still plenty of work for everyone to do in order to rebuild, but for now it was time to enjoy themselves.

The crew of the Normandy sat back at the makeshift bar enjoying the view. Joker got a few chuckles watching a very drunk Grunt starting to talk like a baby and sucking his thumb.

"I always wondered what would happen if he got drunk. I was always scared once he did he would kill everything in the room." He commented.

"Ah, he's a lightweight." Commented Wrex, "Just because the best krogen in history were great fighters didn't mean they could hold their ryncol."

"Well at least he looks like he's having a good time." Liara commented, wearing her signature purple dress. A small flash went off next to Joker. EDI, who was also wearing a dress, set off another flash in her visor.

"EDI, what are you doing?" Joker asked.

"I thought Grunt might want to preserve these moments to reflect on once he is sober. In the meantime I will post them on the extranet until he can retrieve them." Joker panicked.

"No, no EDI. That's ok. I don't think Grunt will want to know we took those pictures. Its ok to delete them." He said as he covered her visor from taking more photos.

"Why not, enjoyable moments are meant to be preserved, are they not?" EDI asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Only the ones that might kill you." He replied, a bead of sweat rolling down his neck. Why did the girl of his dreams have to come with a built in camera?

"I see." She commented, "Then you would not like me to take pictures of us dancing together?" Joker raised his eyebrows.

"Was…that a joke?" he asked tentatively.

"Possibly, it was more of a invitation." She said, giving him a small smile. Joker, while initially hesitant to leave the bar, was coaxed out to a spacious spot on the dance floor, with his mobility assistance mech leading the way.

"This crap is getting too mushy for me. I'm gonna get Grunt to the bathroom before he starts embarrassing our clan name." Wrex chuckled as he walked out into the fray. Liara smiled and took in the scene. She saw Tali having a great time drinking and talking shop with her friends from Engineering, James arm wrestling a krogan battle master, Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor were sitting together catching up since they had left Cerberus, Diana Alters gathering interviews from party goers to broadcast on her special live episode of "Battlespace," for the soldiers confined to the infirmary and Kahlee Sander, shaperoning the kids from Grisson Academy along with Jack. Hard to believe that only a week ago that all of this had been threaten with complete annialation. However, at long last, all these species had been given the chance to get to know each other and bond over their combined hardships. While animosity between certain groups would still remain, there was a new hope that they would eventually fade in time as everyone pulled together to rebuild.

"Hey Liara." A familiar voice called over. Spectre Kaiden Alenko joined her at the bar.

"Hello Kaiden. Enjoying yourself?" she asked.

"Yeah, I got to talking with some of the Ascension Project kids. Heh, well behaved, but I'm surprised they've been allowed in here." He mused.

"Regardless of their age, they are fighter just like everyone else in this room. I think they are mature enough to spend time with their elders."

"That and their crazy, tattooed teacher over there would give them a biotic spanking like you wouldn't believe." Liara chuckled at the comment. It was nice to see how much Jack had changed from her what she had read on her dossier. "So what are you doing over hear all by yourself?" he finally asked after a moment of silence.

"I'm waiting for someone," she replied, searching the crowd.

"Hot date?" Liara smiled shyly.

"You could say that," she mumbled. "He should be here soon."

"Well, I'm happy for you." Kaiden said with a smile, "Have you gone to see her yet?" Liara's face became a bit more somber when she realized what he was referring to.

"Yes, but I wasn't able to stay for very long. She's become so weak."

"After what she's been through, I'm not surprised. She's lucky to have survived that ordeal at all."

"Though I have been told that she should be free to leave the hospital wing for brief periods soon. Knowing her she'll probably insist on getting up to dance."

"God forbid right? And I thought I danced terrible." The two laughed together as they tried to imagine it.

"So what will you be up to Spectre Alenko?" Liara asked. "Are you expecting a, 'hot date'?"

"Sadly, no." Kaiden sighed, "I just wanted to hang out for a little bit before getting back to work. I've got to look over plans with the council for a new center of government, talk with Bailey about what security detail he can spare for the next meeting, then get back to work on the memorial site. We…finally got plans finalized to…bury Anderson there." Kaiden trailed off as the words came out of his mouth. Liara put her hand on his shoulder to console him. "Sorry, just damn it. Even after saying it, it still hard to believe."

"He was a good man. He deserves the highest honor your people can give to him after death." Kaiden nodded.

"He would have enjoyed seeing this. More than anyone I know. Well…almost anyone." He mumbled.

"Liara!" a voice called out over the loud music. Liara's face lit up when she saw who it was.

"Feron, I'm glad you could make it." She said as she went to meet him. Giving a final wave to Kaiden, she disappeared with the Drell into the crowd. Kaiden waved after her, as he took on last look at the crowd.

"I hope you get back on your feet soon Shepard." He said to himself, "There's a whole new galaxy waiting for you."

Med bay on the Normandy

Shepard sat up in the makeshift medical bed, looking out the window at some of the straggling partygoers heading outside. As much as she would have prefer to be out there with them, she was under strict orders to not leave without Dr. Chakwas permission. Not that she was in any position to argue. Her head had spun when she had been conscious enough for a doctor to explain what was exactly wrong with her. For now all she could do was enjoy just being able to breath properly without a mask on. Dr. Chakwas sat at her station, insisting to stay on call while everyone else was out partying.

"I'm too old for stuff like that anymore Shepard," she had said when Shepard had questioned her. "I'd much rather enjoy that bottle of brandy you promised me." The two shared a nice conversation over drinks, though Shepard wasn't in much of a mood to drink. Suddenly the laptop's intercom went off. Dr. Chakwas steadily got up to awnser it, shaking a bit from the brandy.

"Commander Shepard has a visitor. Shall I let him in?" asked the door guard.

"Yes, the Commander can have visitors at this time." The doctor replied, a sly smile on her face. The door opened and Garrus Vakerian walked in. Shepard did her best to sit up but her injured body forced her to lie back down.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he sat down beside her.

"A bit frustrated that my body isn't doing what I tell it to, but other than that, fine. How crazy is it out there?" she asked. Anxious to find out what she was missing.

"Lets just say that the extranet is going to have over a million new, "It made my day," photos uploaded by the time things quiet down." Shepard smirked as she tried to laugh, only to result in yet another cough.

"I'm hurting in places I didn't even know I had." Shepard mused. "Who knows how long it will take for me to even see the sun again."

"I think it'll all be able to wait for you now. So in the meantime," he said revealing a vid player. "I'd thought I would bring a bit of the party to you." Shepard's smile widened at the gesture.

"Your getting really good at this." She snarked.

"Well you've given me a lot of practice." He shot back.

"I'll leave you two alone." Said Dr. Chakwas who had been in the corner smiling at the two. "There is an extra glass Garrus if you care to help yourself to some." With that the two watched the latest episode of "Battlespace." Shepard almost began to cry, seeing all her good friends and allies. There had been a time where she had accepted the fact that she would never see them again. As much as it pained her, she would have gone through hell and back to give them a chance to live this way again. She had succeeded but had been shocked to find that the experience with the Catalyst hadn't taken her life. Although she had been ecstatic to be here with everyone, she had regretted not being able to join those who she had lost: Mordin, Legion, Anderson and so many others that had sacrificed their lives to stop the Reapers. It almost didn't seem fair that she was given the chance to live, when so many others weren't. Once the episode had finished, she mentioned this to Garrus.

"Since I've been in here, I can't get one question out of my head." Shepard said cathartically.

"And what's that?" Garrus asked holding her hand.

"Why did the Catalyst spare me? I went into that battlefield ready to die if I had to. If I did, that it would make up for all the lives I couldn't save." Garrus looked he straight in the eye, clenching her hand even tighter.

"I don't claim to be an expert on Reapers or even the Catalyst, but I think the reason it kept you alive was for that very reason. From what you told us, all of the organics it had known wouldn't have had second thoughts if they were given the chance to save themselves. You, on the other hand, proved it wrong. So maybe when it read your mind, it decided to spare you because you were willing to sacrifice your own life." Shepard smirked.

"Maybe, but I guess we'll never know now." She sighed and reached for her glass.

"For now, why don't we focus on the future? Still interested?" Garrus said pouring her small glass of brandy.

"Heh, One step at a time Garrus. We've got the rest of our lives to figure this out." The two raised their glasses.

"To the rest of our lives…together."

(Well that my little hope on what the ending of Mass Effect series would have been like. Not that I entirely disapprove of the endings they gave us as you can see in this fic. I just felt that they really needed to add a few things to give us closure with the characters and reflect our game choices a bit more. For example, the part in my fic where Chakwas examines Shepard, could be a point where Shepard could die or not depending on who has survived or some such condition. I also hoped that the love interest actions and dialogue that I have in here could be really cut and paste with each of the love interests but working in their respective character dialogue, aka Garrus's reference to the bar. But I digress, I hope you've enjoyed this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you Bioware for giving the fans another incredible character driven game, something that even a bad ending can't completely ruin.)

If you get the chance please post reviews and give constructive criticism, its always appreciated.


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